There's No Going Back Insurgent: Four's POV
by Amyrosevillella
Summary: Insurgent by Veronica Roth from Four/Tobias's point of view
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

I sit silently as the train weaves its way through the city. It is the middle of the night but there is no way I could fall asleep. Not with Marcus sitting only a few feet away. I never thought I would have to be so close to him again; not after I left Abnegation and chose Dauntless. Why was I such a coward? I try to convince myself that eventually I would have had the power to stand up to him but I can't. I am not Dauntless. No coward like me could ever be considered a real member of Dauntless.

The train shakes on the tracks and for the first time in awhile I take a look outside. I faintly see the lights of the fence in the distance. That means we will have to jump off very soon. I quietly let the others know and then look down at Tris. I hate to wake her but we must go. I give her shoulder a little shake and crouch in front of her.

She opens her eyes ever so slightly. As she looks at me I feel like there is something I am missing, something that she is keeping from me.

_No. _I push that thought right out of my mind. Tris has no reason to keep anything from me. She trusts me. I know she does. Especially after everything we have been though, she has no reason not to.

"Tris, come on," I say to her. "We have to jump"

I help her up and lead her to the doorway where Marcus, Peter, and Caleb stand silently. Peter takes the first leap, and then Marcus follows him. I glare at his back as he jumps, hoping as he lands he breaks something. I see him stumble and fall to his knees but nothing seems to be harmed. Just my luck. Next Caleb jumps next and then Tris grabs tight to my hand as the wind pushes against our bodies.

We leap out of the car and land hard on the ground. Both of us are used to the jarring effect that comes from jumping out of a moving train but I can tell that the impact must have hurt her shoulder. Still sore from the bullet she took after trying to escape the simulation.

She releases my hand and goes to check on Caleb, who is sitting down rubbing his knee.

"Okay?" She asks him. He nods. It is clear that the tears could come any minute now. None of us have really faced the reality of what has happened yet and Caleb seems to be just reaching the breaking point.

I start to make my way over to the fence. The others are close on my heels, all eager to make it to safety. It you would even call it that. I am not so sure the Amity compound could be considered safe. Sure, they focus on peace but what are they going to do in a situation like this? Where whatever remained of peace is all but gone within the city.

"There are supposed to be Dauntless guards here, where are they?" Marcus speaks out for the first time since we departed from the train. I try my best not to cringe at the sound of his voice. To be honest I don't even know why he is here. I debate on ignoring him but decide I might as well answer. He may not be the only one wondering why the guards not attending to their normal job.

"They were under the simulation, and now…" I pause, thinking of the rest of the Dauntless members under the simulation, forced to become murders. "Who knows where, doing who knows what." I finally get out. I don't even want to think about the aftermath of the simulation.

I walk up to the small metal box on the side of the fence and open it.

"Let's hope the Erudite didn't think to change this combination," I say as I type in the eight digit code. _Click._ I then hear the familiar groan as the gate opens.

"How did you know that?" I hear Caleb ask from behind me. I wish for once he could keep his curiosity to himself. But then, I remember that this is Tris' brother, and based on the emotion evident in his voice, this is not the time to criticize his Erudite curiosity.

"I worked in the Dauntless control room, monitoring the security system. We only change the codes twice a year," I say to him.

"How lucky," Caleb says, giving me a suspicious look. If he only knew…

"Luck has nothing to do with it; I only worked there because I wanted to make sure I could get out." I say. Letting my words sink in. I feel like I am the only one who thinks we are trapped in this place. Does anyone else ever wonder why the fence is there? If we were truly free we would be able to get out, explore what is beyond the fence. Why has that never been an option for us? What really lies beyond the fence?

_Stop. _I tell myself. I let my thoughts get too out of control sometimes. But, right now, that cannot happen. There are things that need to be done.

Before I have a chance to do it myself, Tris takes the lead. I walk silently are her side. Even though I am not touching her, I can still feel the electricity between us. Just like the first time we met. What I would do to go back to that. Back to the time when there was no war, just Tris and I.

But there is no going back now.

**So first of all, thanks so much for reading this! I really love Insurgent and thought I would take a chance writing my own fanfic. PLEASE REVIEW! I would love constructive criticism! And let me know if I should continue! Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So I am taking the advice on being more descriptive and original for chapter 2. I hope you all like it! (:**

**Chapter 2**

I don't know how long we have been walking but it must have been awhile. Our small little pack is struggling. The exhaustion as well as the emotion from the day has finally begun to set in. In the distance, we finally began to see little bits of light coming from what must be the Amity headquarters. As we grow closer I can make out the cluster of buildings all surrounded by trees in every direction. Everything in made out of wood and glass, classic Amity.

We walk through one of the many orchards to get to the buildings. The scent of apples and dirt overwhelms me as we walk under the canopy of branches. The bright white moon peaks through the trees providing the small amount of light in the dark tunnel of trees.

As we approach the many buildings Marcus walks right past me and says "I know where to go."

Oh sure you do. Marcus loves to have the power. It is what he craves. He always needs to be in control. I resist the urge to argue with him though because to be honest I may just end up leading us into the bathroom. There are too many buildings for me to even try to guess which one could be of any help to us.

We walk past the first building and right us to the second one on the left. I hear a faint laughing coming from inside. With all the events from the past day, the sound of happiness is startling.

Marcus walks up to one of the doors and pulls it open. Ha, no lock. I didn't even think about how simple it would be to get into Amity. It still surprises me though at the lack of security. There has to be someone out of the many members of Amity that is not as trustworthy as the rest.

Inside sits Amity's representative, Johanna Reyes. I would recognize her anywhere because of the long scar that stretches down the length of her face. I have always wondered how she got that scar. Especially being the representative of Amity. What terrible thing could have happened to her in a faction that only focuses on peace?

"Oh, thank God," she says right when she sees Marcus. It makes me cringe. I hate it how nobody knows who he really is, and what he really does. Johanna walks right up to him with her arms stretched open for an embrace. But then instead, she just lightly touches his shoulders. She must remember that something like hugging someone is far from anything an Abnegation member would ever do.

"The other members of your party got here a few hours ago, but they weren't sure if you had made it," Johanna says. What party? I am guessing it is some Abnegation who managed to escape but I can't be sure. I look down at Tris from the corner of my eye. From the look on her face this fact is no surprise to her. I guess I really did miss a lot while I was under the simulation… Huh.

As I am pondering what Johanna just said, she looks behind Marcus and her eyes immediately settle on me, and then slowly move to Caleb, then Tris, and finally rest on Peter and the blood still flowing from his arm.

"Oh my," she says; obviously shocked by the injury. Is she really that oblivious to the war going on right inside the fence? "I'll send for a doctor. I can grant you all permission to stay the night, but tomorrow, out community must decide together. And…" she pauses, her eyes settling right on Tris and me, "they will likely not be enthusiastic about a Dauntless presence in our compound. I of course ask you to turn over any weapons you might have."

I reach into the gun holster hooked on my waist and hesitantly hand over my gun. Like any Dauntless member, I hate the feeling of being defenseless. I look over at Tris and see her reaching behind her back to grab what must be a gun hidden under the large Abnegation shirt. Before she can remove it, I reach back and grab her hand right as her fingers reach down to grab the gun. To cover up what I just did I lace my fingers with her and pull her hand down in between us, hoping she doesn't question my move.

"My name is Johanna Reyes," she says to all of us. She extends her hand to Tris and then to me. I remember when the simple handshake seemed so foreign to me before I came to Dauntless. Now it just becomes naturally. But I can tell Tris is still uncomfortable with the different form of greeting.

"This is T—"Marcus begins.

_Not a chance._ I refuse to be associated with that monster.

I interrupt him before he can continue. "My name is Four." I say, "This is Tris, Caleb, and Peter."

"Welcome to the Amity compound." Johanna says, smiling at us. "Let us take care of you."

Something about her statement just gives me the urge to grab Tris make a run for it right now and never come back. I don't know what it is about this place but being under the care or the Amity doesn't seem to be as safe as it seems…

**Okay guys, sorry this chapter is kinda short, but I just have tons of homework and this seemed like a pretty good place to end the chapter! Just like I said before, I would really love any constructive criticism! I tried to take some of your reviews into consideration so I hope I satisfied all of you! (:**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

None of us are in any shape to do anything useful so Johanna escorts us to the cafeteria. It is just like any other Amity building. Wooden walls with large glass windows spaced evenly along each wall. The standard wooden floor that creaks with every step, nothing like the Dauntless compound. We are greeted by a group of Abnegation that was supposedly in some sort of safe house before coming here. Everyone seems especially relieved to see Marcus, which sickens me.

I decide that I would rather not stay in the cafeteria with the people from my old faction; party because of Marcus and partly because I left them. I don't know if they recognize me but I still feel like an outsider. Tris and I head down to one of the many dorms in the Amity compound. She clings tightly to my arm the entire time.

Once we enter one of the dorms, an Abnegation woman gives her a steaming cup of some pink liquid I don't recognize and says, "Drink this, It will help you sleep as it helped some of the others sleep. No dreams."

Tris practically yanks the cup out of her hands and swallows it up quickly, desperate for a peaceful night. I know exactly how she feels. There is no way I will be able to sleep tonight.

I quietly walk her to one of the rooms the woman guides us too. She is out the moment she hits the bed. I silently kiss her forehead and whisper to her, "I love you."

I walk out of the room, not bothering to care how loud the floor boards creak under my weight because I know Tris is out. I decide I might as well explore a little bit.

After almost an hour of just walking around aimlessly, I settle on sitting in the soft dirt in one of the orchards, watching the bright moon above my head. It is not long before I hear the quiet footsteps about three rows over from me. I start to get up to check it out but decide against it when I hear Johanna's voice.

"I don't know what you are suggesting Daniel. We can't just abandon these people in their time of need."

"Well, have you not felt the tension here just within the past few hours? Having three Dauntless members here is far from peaceful. And you know why they are here. We are going against the Erudite by protecting them. We cannot forget what they have done for us, and this is what we do to repay them?" the man named Daniel argues.

"You are right but what have they done to deserve to be thrown out? I understand your point but we will have to settle this the way we do. Tomorrow morning we will decide as a whole. I will not let you have all the power in this decision, Daniel."

"Fine, but I hope you know what the consequences may be if they are allowed to stay." Daniel spits out. Before Johanna even has time to react, he turns and walks away.

_Wow_. I have never seen two Amity ever argue. But, I guess when it comes to their one value, peace, anything can happen.

After hearing their argument though, I feel even less safe here than I did before. The one place I thought we would be the safest is now far from that. What lengths will the Amity go to to protect their friendship with the Erudite? I would rather not be here when we find out.

I sit for awhile longer but I just don't feel comfortable anymore, given what I just overheard. So, I head to the dorm and into a room assigned to me. It is identical to the one Tris sleeps in right now. I think of her, at least she can escape from the world for a little while. All I want is for her to be happy. But I know that nothing that I do will heal the hole in her heart from all the deaths of her loved ones that she has faced. It kills me to see her in so much pain. I just wish that we could go back to that moment when she finally finished her initiation and became a full member, when she kissed me in the middle of the cafeteria. We were happy. At that moment we had a full, happy life ahead of us. But it only took a couple of hours for the Erudite to change our fate.

I spend the rest of the night wondering what things would have been like, imagining our life together. That life is now no more than a fading dream. I try my best to remember all the happiness, and cherish those memories as long as I possibly can.

**Ahhh another short chapter.. Sorry guys! I just keep finding these great endings to chapters but then the chapter end up being too short! Haha but then I really have no way of continuing without it feeling awkward and forced.. But anyways, aside from it being short, did you guys enjoy this chapter? I kinda made up my own side story to make it more original so I hope that you all liked it! Let me know if I should continue or not.. Because I don't feel like many of people are very interested in my story. But if you are, please let me know! And also, please please let me know if there is anything I should work on for this story! I am totally open to any constructive criticism! Thanks everyone!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Okay I am guessing this is going to be a longer chapter so I hope that it makes up for all the short chapters before this! And thanks so much for the nice reviews! Enjoy (:**

I look out the window in my room to finally see the sun rising. I did not get much sleep, as expected. The few times I dozed off I was woken not even an hour later by nightmares. Marcus was a common factor in each of the dreams. Surprisingly, Tris was too; but in each and every dream, I had to watch as she was tortured or killed right in front of me. Eventually, I just gave up on sleep because I didn't want to face the torturous nightmares again.

My whole body is now caked in sweat so I decide I might as well take a shower. I am only allowed 5 minutes under the chilling water. It is not very pleasant but it sure does wake me up. I come back to my room to find some Amity clothes placed on my bed. There is a dark red t-shirt and yellow pants. My jeans are still wearable so I chose those over the yellow pants and thrown on the red t-shirt.

It is still early but I take my chances and walk to Tris' room. On my way over, one of the Abnegation members stops me and gives me a bottle of clear liquid that she claims is pain medicine along with a small dropper. Then she lets me know that the Amity is meeting in thirty minutes to discuss what they will do with us and we are required to be there. Oh joy.

From inside I hear her voice saying, "Come in,"

I open the door and step halfway in, leaning on the door frame and say, "The Amity are meeting in a half an hour to decide our fate." I say a little overdramatically.

She shakes her head and says, "Never thought my fate would be in the hands of a bunch of Amity."

I have to agree. I never thought in a million years that we would ever be in this situation. In fact, I never thought I would even enter the Amity compound.

"Me either. Oh, I brought you something." I say, unscrewing the cap of the small bottle the Abnegation woman gave me and hand her a dropper full of the clear liquid. She grabs it and empties its contents into the back of her throat.

I sit there and watch her for a few seconds then ask, "How are you, Beatrice?"

I see her surprise at her old name immediately. I almost laugh at her expression but before I get the chance she says, "Did you just call me _Beatrice_?"

"Thought I would give it a try." I say smiling. "Not good?"

She ponders this for a few second then says, "Maybe on special occasions only. Initiation days, Choosing Days…" she pauses. It is obvious her mind has gone elsewhere so I decide to change the subject.

"It's a deal." I say, "How are you, Tris?"

I watch her tense up as she recalls everything that has happened. The answer to my question is obvious. She is not okay and I knew that. Now I feel like a jerk for even asking the question in the first place when it was bound to bring up the pain of the past few days.

"I'm…" she says, shaking her head back and forth like she is looking for the right words. "I don't know, Four." Ah, I wish she wouldn't call me that when we are alone…"I'm awake. I…" She doesn't continue but I don't expect her to. I slide my left hand over her cheek and tilt my head down and kiss her. When I am kissing her it feels like nothing else in this terrible world exists. It feels like all the bad things never happened and it is just me and Tris. She wraps both her hands around my arm, holding me against her. I pull away and look into her eyes. It is like I can see into her soul and all I see is the hole of despair that I would do anything to heal.

"I know," I say. I do know. I had to deal with the loss of my mother for eight years. Eight years I had to live with the hole in my chest that her supposed death brought. Every day that hole got bigger with the constant abuse by my father. Now that I know she is alive, I cannot ever begin to forgive her for what she did to me and the monster she left me with. Since the moment I met her last year, I no longer consider her my mother. As far as I am concerned, my mother died when I was nine years old.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have asked." I say to Tris. Bringing up the pain of the past few days was_ not_ what I had intended to do. I let my hand fall from her face and stand up. "I'll let you get ready." I say to her right before I walk out the door.

I don't really know what to do with myself as I wait for Tris. I mean, what really is there to do for a Dauntless member in the Amity compound? Nothing. That is the answer. Because there is no way in hell that I would ever go join one of their little peace circles. After coming to this conclusion, I decide to just walk around for a little while. I walk aimlessly through the many hallways before I stumble upon him. As soon as he sees me he tenses up. What is he scared of me? That thought amuses me but before I can react he straightens up and eludes that Erudite cockiness I know too well.

"Hello Caleb." I say as we approach each other.

"Hello Tobias. Or is it _Four_?" He says with a touch of accusation.

Wow. Didn't think I would have any problems with Caleb. I guess I was wrong.

"Call me Four." I say sharply. Two can play this game.

"Okay, _Four_, what are you doing?" He asks.

There are so many good comebacks that run through my head but I stop myself before any of them leave my mouth. This is not just a random Erudite getting on my nerves, this is Tris' brother. I force myself to at least try to be nice.

"I was just going to get Tris for the meeting the Amity have scheduled for us. Would you like to come?" I ask in the calmed voice I can muster up. It still doesn't seem to change his opinion of me though.

"Fine," Caleb spits out.

We walk in silence down to Tris' room. When I open the door both Caleb and I stop mid-step.

"You cut your hair," Caleb blurts out, raising his eyebrows.

_No shit Caleb._ We both sit there staring at her until she managed so respond.

"Yeah, it's… too hot for long hair." she finally gets out.

"Fair enough." Caleb says and then turns on his heel and walks out, not even bothering to make sure we are following.

As we walk, the wood boards beneath our feet creak with every step. No silence here in Amity. Once we walk outside we are welcomed by the scent of earth and trees. It is so different from what I am used to. Suddenly, Caleb's voice snaps me out of my daydream.

"Does everyone know you're Marcus's son?" He asks. "The Abnegation, I mean?" Well at least this time he didn't have that nasty Erudite tone when he talked to me. Maybe we are making progress.

"Not to my knowledge," I reply as I look over at him. "And I would appreciate it if you didn't mention it."

"I don't need to mention it. Anyone with eyes can see it for themselves. "Then he looks over at me and frowns. Well what did I do now? "How old are you anyway?" He asks me.

Where is this going? "Eighteen."

"And you don't think you're too old to be with my little sister?"

So that is why he doesn't like me. I can't help but let out a short laugh. "She isn't _your little_ anything." I say maybe a little too harshly. I hope Tris didn't notice.

"Stop it. Both of you," she says. Well so much for hoping.

We follow behind a group of Amity toward a circular building made entirely of glass. The place seems to be like some sort of greenhouse. Various plants grow in every direction forming a border around the edge of the greenhouse. Many fans are placed in different spots around the room but serve no purpose other than to spread the warm air around. In the center of the room grows a huge tree. Its branches extend over the top of the greenhouse creating shade from the bright sun. The roots of the tree cover almost all the ground beneath us. In between each root is water with metal rods holding every root in place.

I look up to see Johanna Reyes standing in the midst of all of the roots. She is standing with her hands folded in front of her watching as everyone enters the greenhouse. Many of the Amity are beginning to sit down so we follow their example and join a group of Abnegation sitting a few yards away. Tris seems distracted by something so I touch the small of her back and guide her over behind the Abnegation. I look down at her and see a sad expression on her face. Well, this may be a great time for a compliment. I lean down and whisper into her ear, "I like your hair that way."

She smiles then leans against me as we sit down just as Johanna lifts her hands to quiet the crowd. We wait silently for what seems like ages as she stands there with her head bowed. Finally she lifts her head and says, "We have before us today an urgent question, which is: How will we conduct ourselves in this time of conflict as people who pursue peace?"

All of the sudden every single Amity turns to the people next to them and starts talking. The constant chatter goes on and on. It confuses me at first but then I start to understand it. One by one, each group of people talking gets up to join another group and discuss the topic at hand. This group then joins a new group and so on. Tris turns to me after about ten minutes and says, "How do they get anything done?"

Have you even been watching them? "They don't care about efficiency, they care about agreement. Watch." I say to her.

I think this is the first time she has actually taken the time to notice what is going on around her. I watch as she takes in the process. She looks slightly puzzled and says, "This is bizarre,"

Well, I beg to differ. "I think it's beautiful," I say.

She turns her head to look at me and raises her eyebrows, giving me a look implying that I must be crazy.

"What?" I say laughing a little. "They each have an equal role in government; they each feel equally responsible. And it makes them care; it makes them kind. I think that's beautiful."

"I think it's unsustainable," she says. "Sure, it works for the Amity. But what happens when not everyone wants to strum banjos and grow crops? What happens when someone does something terrible and talking about it can't solve the problem?"

Well I don't think they have ever had to deal with something as big as this. Especially when there is a war pending right inside the fence so I shrug and say, "I guess we'll find out."

By now most of the conversations are ending and now one person from each of the big groups around the greenhouse stand and approach Johanna. They all stand in a tight circle and talk quietly. I wish I could hear what they are saying. I never thought this is what it would come down to.

"They're not going to let us argue with them, are they," Tris whispers into my ear.

"I doubt it," I reply.

Let's just hope the Amity can muster up the right amount of pity for us.

Suddenly the conversation in the middle ends and Johanna turns to us and assumes her position with her hands folded in front of her.

"Our faction has had a close relationship with Erudite for as long as any of us can remember. We need each other to survive, and we have always cooperated with each other, but we have also had a strong relationship with Abnegation in the past, and we do not think it is right to revoke the hand of friendship when it has for so long been extended."

She pauses and looks around the room at everyone and then continues, "We feel that the only way to preserve our relationships with both factions is to remain impartial and uninvolved, your presence here, though welcome, complicates that."

Johanna pauses then continues, "We have arrived at the conclusion that we will establish out faction headquarters as a safe house for members of all factions, under a set of conditions. The first is that no weaponry of any kind is allowed on the compound. The second is that is any serious conflict arises, whether verbal or physical, all involved parties will be asked to leave. The third is that the conflict may not be discussed, even privately, within the confines of this compound. And the fourth is that everyone who stays here must contribute to the welfare of this environment by working. We will report this to Erudite, Candor, and Dauntless as soon as we can."

Suddenly she shifts her eyes to Tris and me as she says the last of her little speech.

"You are welcome to stay here is and only if you can abide by our rules, that is our decision."

The reality of what she has just said sinks in. This is not going to work for us. No way. It seems like Tris is thinking she same thing because she leans into me and whispers, "We won't be able to stay long,"

I look around me. Peace can be so deceiving at times like these. This place will not be a safe house. We will be sitting ducks as we wait for the Erudite to find us and ultimately kill us. I look down at Tris and whisper back, "No, we won't."

**Ahhh okay so this chapter took me kinda a while so sorry about that! It's a little lengthy but I think you all will like it! Please please review! (:**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**I am so sorry I haven't updated in so long! I'm going to try to update it more I promise. Hope you all like this chapter!**

Later that evening I decide to go relax in my room. It has been a very long day and all I want is to lie down. I am alone for what can't be even more than a half an hour when I hear a knock on the door.

It is probably Tris, I assume and then call out, "Come in,"

To my surprise the door opens to reveal a very uncomfortable looking Caleb.

His eyes wander around the room, obviously trying to avoid my surprised gaze and then he says, "I came to talk to you about something."

"Yes?" I say, trying hard not to let the shock enter its way into my voice.

"So, how long have you and my sister been… you know…" he manages to get out, still avoiding my gaze.

Well I might as well just tell him everything. "Since the middle of initiation. Well, I guess that's when I first started to have feelings for her." I reply.

"Why? I am sure there are many other girls your age who can give you exactly what you want." He says a bit accusingly.

Does everyone think that the only way I would like Tris is if we have had sex? What happened to just liking someone because of their personality? "I promise you it is not like that. I swear I am not messing around with your sister." I say laughing a little bit. He seems to thaw out a little bit.

"So, how did you first know you liked her?" he says taking a seat in a wooden chair across from me.

"Well, I guess the first time was when we had to participate in this capture the flag game. Tris was on my team and everyone was arguing so she decided to climb the Ferris wheel at the Navy Pier to get a better look from above. I followed her up there and I guess I just felt something. She was so brave and even in the midst of one of my worst fears, she made me feel safe. Oh, and she also almost fell off the Ferris wheel but I saved her just in time. That was when I really knew because in that moment all I could think about was saving her. My fear was nonexistent. After that, all I wanted was for her to feel the same way. But, of course, the next day I am forced to throw knives at her and –"

"You threw _knives_ at her? What are you crazy?" Caleb interjects.

"Don't worry Caleb, I have great aim and only a small part of her ear was harmed and that was for her own sake. But that was the first time I fully admitted my feelings for her to myself." I reply.

He still doesn't respond. He just sits there looking at like I am crazy.

Oh, he's still caught up on the knife throwing thing… "Caleb, I am serious. It is just something we do at Dauntless. I can show you if you would like." I say, trying to calm his shock.

At this point his Erudite curiosity takes over and he replies, "Okay…"

I get up from the bed and look around for something to use as a target. I find a solid lump of cheese that will suffice and set it on top of the dresser.

I grab the knife hidden under my mattress and sit on the floor. Caleb gets up to stand beside to so he can have a better look.

"You ready?" I ask him.

"Sure. But you better be right about your spectacular aim because I don't think the Amity would be very happy if they find a knife lodged in their wall…" Caleb says cautiously.

I focus my eyes on the target and inhale a deep breath and then exhale as I let the knife fly from my hand towards the chunk of cheese.

We both hear the small _thump_ as the knife hits the center of the cheese, exactly where I had aimed. Caleb turns his head towards me and looks at me in disbelief.

"How…" He stammers out.

"Practice." I say laughing as I get up to grab the knife from the cheese.

Caleb lets out a small laugh and then asks, "Not to be mean, but does it really require the dramatic breathing before?"

"Are you really going to criticize me when I just that cheese dead on?" I ask.

"Well, I am just stating an observation!" Caleb says, loosening up more and laughing. "I'm serious; this is what you looked like when you threw that knife."

He attempts to imitate me but way to overdramatically. I can't help but laugh at his terrible attempt.

"No, not like _that_," I reply through laughter.

"What do you mean 'not like that'? I imitated you perfectly." Caleb says.

"You did not."

"Well, do it against then." Caleb says, crossing his arms across his chest.

Just as I let the knife leave my fingers I hear the door open. I look to see Tris standing in the doorway with her eyebrows raised as she takes in the scene before her. Caleb continues to look back and forth between the knife I just threw that is not stuck in the cheese and Tris and says, "Tell me he's some kind of Dauntless prodigy. Can you do this too?" Caleb asks her in disbelief.

"With my right hand, maybe." she says casually. Caleb still looks at her in disbelief at the thought of her ever throwing a knife but she continues. "But yes, _Four_ is some kind of Dauntless prodigy. Can I ask _why_ you're throwing knives at cheese?" she asks us.

My eyes flick over to hers at the mention of my nickname. I am not a Dauntless prodigy. I am just a coward really but nobody knows that.

"Caleb came by to discuss something," I say replying to Tris while I lean my head against the wall behind me. "And knife-throwing just came up somehow." I say, smiling a little at the memory of Caleb's shocked expression when he heard that I threw knives at Tris.

A small smile creeps up onto Tris' lips too as she says, "As it so often does,"

We continue to stare into each other's eyes until Caleb clears his throat and says, "Anyway, I should be getting back to my room," he says looking back and forth between Tris and me. "I'm reading this book about the water-filtration systems. The kid who gave it to me looked at me like I was crazy for wanting to read it. I think it's supposed to be a repair manual, but it's fascinating." He pauses, looking down for a second before continuing, "Sorry. You probably think I'm crazy too."

"Not at all," I say, trying to be sincere but it doesn't come out how I planned. "Maybe _you_ should read that repair manual too, Tris. It sounds like something you might like." I say to Tris and flash her a devious smile.

"I can loan it to you." Caleb says, clearly not hearing the sarcasm in my voice.

"Maybe later," Tris says. Caleb walks out of the room and right as the door closes behind him Tris gives me a dirty look and says, "Thanks for that, now he's going to talk my ear of about water filtration and how it works. Though I guess I might prefer that to what he wants to talk to me about."

"Oh? And what's that?" I say as I lift my eyebrows at her. "Aquaponics?"

She looks at me as if I just spoke in a foreign language and says, "Aqua-what?"

"It's one of the ways they grow food here. You don't want to know."

"You right, I don't." she says. "What did he come to talk to you about?

"You," I say, watching her reaction. "I think it was a big-brother talk. 'Don't mess around with my sister' and all that."

I get up from the bed and start to make my way towards her as she says, "What did you tell him?"

"I told him how we got together—that's how knife throwing came up, and I told him I wasn't messing around" I say smiling at her as I wrap my hands around her hips and step forward so her back is pressing against the door. I lean in and press my lips to hers.

All I can think about is her. Being close to her like this blocks out the rest of this world. I feel her lift one of her arms around me and pull me closer. With her other hand, she slowly slips her hand underneath the hem of my t-shirt and up to the small of my back. Her touch makes me hunger for more. I pull her closer and squeeze her waist. Then I bounce back to reality and pull back as far as she will let me.

"This isn't what you came here for," I say. No matter how much I am enjoying myself I can't forget about the danger we are in.

"No." she says looking at me.

Obviously. "What did you come here for, then?

"Who cares?" she says, pulling me closer and pushing her fingers through my hair as our mouths meet. I don't resist. I don't want to stop. But, I have to. So after a few more seconds I turn my head and mumble, "Tris,"

"Okay, okay." she says, pulling back and closing her eyes.

I pull over to my bed and sit beside her as she tells me about how she followed and eavesdropped on Johanna and Marcus. At each mention of my father a bitter taste comes into my mouth. I try not to let it show but I think she notices. Once she is done, she looks me in the eyes and says, "Well, what do you think?"

"I think," I say carefully, deciding what would be a good reaction to this, "That Marcus is just trying to feel more important than he is."

Well that was definitely not what she wanted to hear. I see disappointment flash through her eyes.

Despite that though, she continues, "So… what? You think he's just talking nonsense?"

"I think there probably is some information the Abnegation knew that Jeanine wanted to know, but I think he's exaggerating its importance. Trying to build up his own ego by making Johanna think he'd got something she wants and he won't give it to her."

"I don't…" she frowns. "I don't think you're right. He didn't sound like he was lying."

"You don't know him like I do. He is an excellent liar."

I can see her relent a little, but not enough to fully believe me.

"Maybe you're right," Yes I am. "But shouldn't we figure out what's going on? Just to be sure?" No we shouldn't. Anything involving Marcus is something I will steer clear of.

But, I won't completely demolish her hopes so I say, "I think it's more important that we deal with the situation at hand. Go back to the city. Find out what's going on there. Find a way to take Erudite down. Then maybe we can find out what Marcus was talking about, after this all is resolved. Okay?"

She nods. But, I see the slight hesitation and know that no matter what, she won't drop this.


End file.
